Integral saddle tree and ground seat

ABSTRACT

A one-piece saddle tree assemblage is provided by integrally forming a seat, front and rear jockeys, a cantle, pommel and a ground seat by injection molding the tree assemblage in a single common mold cavity within which a metallic saddle horn is positioned for attachment to the molded tree assemblage as it is molded.

United States Patent Nankivell [54] INTEGRAL SADDLE TREE AND GROUND SEAT [75] Inventor: Erby Roy Nankivell, Athens, Tenn.

[73] Assignee Ralide,Inc., [22] Filed: Aug. 16, 1971 [211 Appl. No.: 172,208

Related U.S. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 730,874, May 21, 1968, abandoned, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 822,907, May 8, 1969, abandoned.

[52] U.S. Cl ..54/44 [51] Int. Cl. ..B68c 1/00 [58] Field of Search ..54/44 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,293,828 12/1966 Hessler ..54/44 3,529,402 9/1970 Queen ..54/44 2,643,418 6/1953 Auldridge 18/59 3,088,259 5/1963 Nucco 920,347 5/1909 Krueger..... 3,157,976 11/1964 Ellsworth 2,153,326 4/1939 Crouter..... 3,258,894 7/1956 Hoaglin Primary ExaminerAldrich F. Medbery Attorney-Stowe" & Stowell [57] ABSTRACT A one-piece saddle tree assemblage is provided by integrally forming a seat, front and rear jockeys, a cantle, pommel and a ground seat by injection molding the tree assemblage in a single common mold cavity within which a metallic saddle horn is positioned for attachment to the molded tree assemblage as it is molded.

5 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PAIENIEmms I975 3.712.024

SHEET 1 OF 4 INVENTOR ERBY ROY 'NANKIVELL JR.

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SHEET 2 OF 4 INVENTOR ERBY ROY NANKIVELL JR.

ATTORNEYS PATENTEUJANZB 197a 3.712.024

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PATENTEDJAH 23 I973 SHEET n []F 4 INVENTOR ERBY ROY NANKIVELL, JR.

ATR )RNEYbI INTEGRAL SADDLE TREE AND GROUND SEAT CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-part application of application Ser. No. 730,874, filed May 21, I968, now abandoned and a continuation of application Ser. No. 822,907.

In the past it has been the common practice to make saddle trees from a plurality of formed and shaped wood sections glued and nailed together and to strengthen the saddle horn by inserting in the formed wooden sections a metallic spike or bolt. The wooden saddle trees with the strengthened saddle horn are then covered with suitable fabric and leather strapping pads and coverings to provide a completed saddle. The first part that is put on such formed trees is a part formed from a piece of sheet metal and several pieces of leather. Such part is termed a strainer or ground seat and over the ground seat, attached to the saddle tree, the coverings are placed.

While such tree assemblages have been in use for many years, the inherent weakness in the saddle horn and the likelihood of splitting and splintering of the wood during the attachment of the leather and fabric coverings and strappings, together with the difficulty today in finding woodworkers of sufficient skill to accurately pattern the wood trees, have created a substantial problem in the saddle making industry.

The inherent disadvantages above referred to are fully eliminated by the improved integrally cast or molded plastic saddle tree having integrally formed therewith a metallic saddle horn. By integrally forming the saddle tree from plastic with an embedded metallic horn a very strong and consistently uniform product is produced which is substantially unaffected by moisture and is stronger and easier to cover and finish than saddle trees hereinbefore provided.

Further, by molding the ground seat with the saddle tree so that a single saddle tree assemblage is formed in one molding operation with the tree and ground seat being integral, the tree assemblage will be complete providing a finer, more complete, tree and saving saddle makers considerable expense and labor, since the initial starting part will be a complete one-piece tree and ground seat around which the finishing coverings may be more easily and quickly formed.

The invention will be more particularly described in reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a saddle tree constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan of the saddle illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the saddle tree illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a section substantially on line 44 of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary partial sectional view on line 55 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a section on line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic view of an injection molding press employed in producing a saddle tree such as illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 6.

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the completed tree assemblage with the ground seat molded integral on the tree shown in FIGS. 1 through 6; and

FIG. 9 is a top plan of the saddle tree assemblage shown in FIG. 8.

Referring to the drawings and initially to FIGS. 1 through 6, 10 generally designates an integrally formed and contoured saddle tree consisting of a seat portion 12, front and rear jockeys 14 and 16, respectively, a pommel 18, a cantle 20, and a metallic horn 22.

As more clearly shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the metallic horn 22 includes a head portion 24 and a stem portion 26. The stem portion 26 is generally cross-shaped in transverse section, as more clearly shown in FIG. 6, with a pair of transverse plate or web portions 28 formed at the lower end of the stem 26 and 30 intermediate the length of the stem 26. The cross-shaped stem, together with the transverse webs or plates 28 and 30, provide positive anchoring for the horn once the plastic composition A is molded or cast about the metallic horn providing the saddle tree with substantial rigidity.

It will be particularly noted that by forming the seat, jockeys, cantle and pommel by, for example, an injection molding process, an integral smoothly contoured and completely reproducible tree is provided.

Referring to particularly FIG. 7 of the drawing, apparatus suitable for manufacturing the improved injection molded saddle tree is illustrated. In FIG. 7 an injection molding apparatus is generally designated 50 and comprises a hopper 52 for pelletized or granular plastic material 54 which feeds into the heater and ram cylinder 56. The plastic granulars are fed towards the sprue 58 of the mold generally designated 60 by, for example, a hydraulic ram, the piston rod of which is illustrated at 62. The plastic being fed into the mold cavity is heated by a steam jacket, generally designated 64, which encircles the extrusion head 66 of the injection molding apparatus 50. The molten thermoplast is forced through the sprue 58 into the mold cavity which is shaped into the desired saddle tree configuration.

One portion of the mold 68 is fitted with a magnetic bar or plate 70 which may be a permanent magnet or be energized by an electrical coil 72 mounted on top of the mold portion 68. The magnetic bar 70 releasably holds the metallic saddle horn 22, by the flat top portion 24 thereof, and positions the metallic horn 22 such that when the molten plastic fills the mold cavity the horn 22 is correctly positioned on the pommel of the saddle tree.

While magnetic horn holding means have proved to be very satisfactory, other gripping means could be employed to releasably anchor the saddle horn prior to the injection molding of the plastic material. For example, if the metallic insert is non-magnetic, such as aluminum, the horn may be positioned in the mold with a contact cement.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the saddle tree 10 is cast in a mold cavity (not shown but similar to the cavity in FIG. 7 except that the upper portion of the cavity is shaped to form a ground seat on the seat portion of the tree) with the ground seat 12a formed integrally with the tree 10 in a single molding operation as described and shown in FIG. 7. Thus, the ground seat 12a is molded with the tree 10 so that a single tree assemblage 75, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, is formed in one-piece in a single molding operation.

The single tree assemblage 75 is then coveredwith suitable fabric and leather strapping pads and coverings to form a finished complete saddle with only a, few, relatively simple, manual operations being required in so doing.

Very satisfactory results are obtained when the plastic composition 54 comprises a high density polyethylene and the horn 22 comprises 4515 ductile iron and when the horn is held in the mold cavity by an electromagnet.

While polyethylene has provided very good results, injection molding compounds such as polystyrene, the vinyls, nylon, styrene-acrylonitrile, polymethylstyrene, etc., may be employed in the manufacture of the improved molded saddle tree assemblage 75.

From the foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be seen that the objects and advantages hereinbefore set forth are fully accomplished.

lclaim:

l. A method of making a unitary one-piece saddle tree comprising the steps of,

a. forming a mold with an internal smooth walled continuous cavity configured to produce a smoothly contoured unitary one-piece saddle tree with the cavity being divided into communicating 1 recesses shaped as a seat, front and rear jockeys, a

cantle and a pommel;

b. forming said cavity with a first opening to the exterior at the pommel recess and a second opening to the exterior at a point rearwardlyof the pommel recess;

c. positioning and retaining a saddle horn having a head and an anchoring stem portion within the first opening so that it closes off said first opening and so that the stem portion is centered within the pommel recess with the head projecting therefrom; d. positioning a sprue of an injection molding apparatus within the second opening so that it closes off said opening; and, e. injecting through said sprue a flowable plastic composition so as to fill with one injection the en- 1 tire cavity and all the recesses thereof and around the stem portion of the horn whereby a unitary the saddle horn and position and retain the horn in the v mold cavity during injection and hardening of the plastic composition about the stem portion of the horn.

5. A unitary one-piece saddle tree made by the process defined in claim 1. 

1. A method of making a unitary one-piece saddle tree comprising the steps of, a. forming a mold with an internal smooth walled continuous cavity configured to produce a smoothly contoured unitary onepiece saddle tree with the cavity being divided into communicating recesses shaped as a seat, front and rear jockeys, a cantle and a pommel; b. forming said cavity with a first opening to the exterior at the pommel recess and a second opening to the exterior at a point rearwardly of the pommel recess; c. positioning and retaining a saddle horn having a head and an anchoring stem portion within the first opening so that it closes off said first opening and so that the stem portion is centered within the pommel recess with the head projecting therefrom; d. positioning a sprue of an injection molding apparatus within the second opening so that it closes off said opening; and, e. injecting through said sprue a flowable plastic composition so as to fill with one injection the entire cavity and all the recesses thereof and around the stem portion of the horn whereby a unitary one-piece saddle tree is produced.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the saddle horn is positioned and retained in the pommel recess by a magnetic field acting on the head within the first opening.
 3. The method of claim 1 including forming the seat recess with a ground seat recess.
 4. The method of claim 1 including creating a magnetic field within the first opening to act on the head of the saddle horn and position and retain the horn in the mold cavity during injection and hardening of the plastic composition about the stem portion of the horn.
 5. A unitary one-piece saddle tree made by the process defined in claim
 1. 